Desperately seeking help with BF 6wk old

[MrsJK]

After the initial rocky start to BF ( baby was a slow feeder to begin) I really thought we has cracked it HOWEVER over the last couple of days it has all gone to pot :-(

He has become incredibly fussy on the breast ( pulling himself off then howling until put back on) In addition to this his latch is now poor leaving me feeling incredibly sore. After he finished my nipps sometimes appear flattened & discoloured (white) at the end returning back to normal after a while.

Due to his latch he doesn't seem to be feeding as efficiently as he previously has resulting in higher frequency of feeds & fussiness!!

Please can anyone offer any words of wisdom as I feel like a failure that is ready to give us when I desperately don't want to.

Have you tried biological nurturing; it's where you lay back or recline and ler the baby kind of head bob until they find the nipple and latch on?

Or, you could try lying down and feeding.

If the latch is wrong, then gently insert your finger and delatch, before trying again.

Www.kellymom.com is a brilliant site for information and you could phone the la leche league too.

Hi There,
Dont worry, this I think is quite common. At around 6 weeks this happened to me and have spoken to a few others that and think its quite common.

It could be a reflux type thing, digestion etc. but with the white nipple you may want to check for tongue tie.
My baby did the same and it was really horrid, pulling on and off, head flung back etc.
I found feeding whilst laying down really helped, so lye on a bed or put a blanket and pillow down on the floor and feed on your side with your baby laying next to you also on his side.
Make sure the babies mouth is really open, you can do this by bringing the baby closer, and I found the whole thing of nose to nipple a load of rubbish, you want the mouth over the nipple not the nose!

Dont give up, BF is great and once my baby got over the fussiness she fed so well - and is still doing so a year later! ( trying to stop now but thats another thread!)

Do some reasech on tongue tie to check for this and if you think it could be tummy ache then Infracol helped mine, but was hard to put in her mouth so didnt last long!

It will get easier! x

Oh and buy some lansinoh to help protect your nipples when they are sore.

Welcome to the 6 week growth spurt! It can be tough going but hang on in there cause it should get much easier soon. Agree with PP's, delatch with your little finger and put him back on. Try rugby ball hold for a couple of days & see if that helps. Keep your fluid levels and and make sure you are eating and resting wherever possible.

And remember the BF-ers mantra. This too, shall pass.

I too experienced fussing and I think it's just normal behaviour. My DD1 was awful for it, especially in the evening when babies feed and feed. I just had to let her get on with it and carry on. Sometimes giving her to my DH for a minute and taking her back helped.
The latch thing sounds like a different issue to me. Kellymom is great so I second that. I found my local breastfeedingnetwork group was great too. They watched me feed and really helped with positioning. My nipple was also flattened on one side and incredibly sore. I ended up bleeding etc and it was really painful. It turned out I was holding DD1 too far over so learned the nose to nipple technique. Do you know about this? Basically you line your baby's nose to your nipple and let them tilt their head to get your nipple in the right place. This took practice but fixed my problems. Have you tried Lansinoh for your nipples? It's brilliant and I used to put it on all the time. It's a dear do but worth it.
I hope this helps.

It sounds like a couple of things are going on- firstly his latch sounds like its not good anymore by your description of your nipple after a feed, so he's possibly getting frustrated with the milk flow which could account for the bobbing on and off. I agree with the others- try a different position to see if that helps. You could also try gently pulling down on his chin as you latch him on to exaggerate his gape with the aim of him taking more of the breast in.

It could also be the 6 week growth spurt making him want to feed constantly. If so, it does pass but you may feel like your tied to the sofa for a while (use it as an excuse to watch some good tv/ read a book!)

Lastly, it might be worth getting him checked for tongue tie like dinksdoes suggests - lots of bf problems can be attributed to undiagnosed tongue-ties!

Stick with it though - it gets so much easier! x

Thank you all for your helpful responses!!

I don't think I would have gotten this far without the help of A- Lansinoh & B-Kellymom.

I am really hoping it is linked to the 6 wk GS & poor latch however have a niggling feeling that there may be slightly more to it. I am set to google tongue tie ..... if this is the case who would I contact?

I will be honest & say that did struggle with the traditional techniques e.g "nose to nipple" / holds and kind of found our own way however this maybe what is currently letting us down ( I am incredibly determine to get this right!)

Our HV isn't due to visit for another week or so - is this something they will be able to help with?

I'm not a fan of this unfamiliar territory! Many Thanks again

Can you get to a baby clinic earlier than that or a breastfeeding support group, there is one four days a week within 15 mon drive of me (Hampshire) in various church halls. Either of those could check the latch and for a tongue tie. Once you get to 8 weeks you won't look back but the 6 to 8 week patch is hard because the way they feed changes as their neck gets stronger and they growth spurt.

www.tonguetie.co.uk
www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Parents/Problems/Tongue-Tie/Locations-where-tongue-tie-can-be-divided

Here's a couple of websites that might help you determine if you lo is tongue-tied (have a look at the pictures on the 1st website). My DS has a tongue tie which I spotted (I'm a midwife so knew what I was looking for) but thankfully it hasn't interfered with bf so we held off from getting it snipped (its actually stretched itself now so that his tongue can stick out quite far, although its still a little forked) but if you do go down that road, its a really simple procedure.

As regards HV - if you can drive or are mobile, is there anywhere in your area that has a 'drop-in' clinic (or well-baby)? In my (large) town there was something on in some church hall or other practically every day of the week and they are always pleased to help with concerns - it doesn't have to be the nearest one to you.
ALSO, there's nothing to stop you phoning and asking your HV advice or for a housecall - now you've got a baby you've got to be demanding - it's tough going the first few weeks and months so get real life advice where you can find it!
Also, nothing to stop you visiting GP (some are better than others at latest BF advice), or phoning NCT helpline, or La Leche or there might be an organisation called Milk in your area.
I know you might feel you get conflicting advice but sometimes it's just getting hold of one really good HCP who can point you in the right direction.
For instance, it MIGHT be that if there is white on your nipple and in baby's mouth it could be thrush but someone in RL would be much better placed to advise you.
Congrats on your baby - I found MN a great help with these sort of queries but also found RL advice pretty good too (well, I did for feeding, but not for my sleep queries - no one could seem to help my angry boy!)

you can also see if your local sure start centre has a breastfeeding group (most do every week), as there will be people there who can give you support, advice and most likely a cuppa tea!

Once again thank you all - it's so encouraging / reassuring to know that others have been in a similar situation & their is hope.

@ FEEdec thank you for the website suggestions - the first showing some very interesting pictures.

I have dug out the leaflets given to me on discharge from the hospital & there is a BF clinic held tomorrow with a feeding specialist so we will def pop along to that as a first point of call.

I actually feel like I am ending the day with a bit of hope which is fabulous - until tomorrow there is lansinoh, paracetamol & my new mantra " This too, shall pass" thank you @ BellaOfTheBalls

Does this happen towards the beginning or end of a feed? Is it related to when you let down? Does it happen at a particular time of day?

I ask because I have similar troubles with my 5.5 wk old and I think it's to do with forceful let down/fast flow as it's worse in the morning and seems to be linked to let down. She gets very upset if the flow is too much - perhaps she chokes/gags :( - but I find if I lean backwards it helps and she usually settles down and has a good feed eventually.

Best of luck with everything.

P.S. In one LLL article this is referred to as 'enthusiastic breasts'! :o